E-Motional Benefits of Greeting Cards?
Is there a future for greeting cards in this age of e-mail and instant messaging? Think about picking up your mail, there's a bright card envelope among the bills, and instantly your day is brighter. It brings the knowledge that someone cares enough about you to take the time to pick out and mail a special message to you. Whether it's a birthday, anniversary or the annual holiday card, it is sure to bring a smile to your face. E-mail would be difficult to illicit the same emotional response.
The birthday card with it's tradition of sentiment and goodwill can lift your employee's morale just knowing you cared enough to remember. The sincerity and comfort of a sympathy card can express feelings you may have difficulty expressing verbally. An annual holiday greeting card sent to family and friends allows you to keep in touch and reminds everyone that you are thinking of them.
A greeting card expresses all the human emotions, joy, thanks, sympathy, humor, love and admiration. It allows us to connect on an emotional level with the people who have touched our lives. Sending personalized greeting cards allows us a vast variety of sentiments that allow us to express our caring to family, friends, customers, clients and employees.
So the next time you are debating shooting off a quick e-mail or sending an actual greeting card, you may want to ask yourself which one conveys the kind of message you wish to send.
We look at the benefits of sending and receiving handwritten cards and why buying cards is having a renaissance.
Today we have so many ways to communicate instantly that sending a greetings card by snail mail is often forgotten about. A card takes longer to write and involves more care and thought from the writer, which makes it much more personal and meaningful than a text or email.
Card sales have been booming
During lockdown sales of stationery were reported to be up by 300% by Papier. With a surge in the purchase of cards, it seems that lots of people returned to more traditional methods to connect with friends and family they were unable to see.
We can see why – receiving a card is a special experience. You hear some post landing on your doormat. The surprise of seeing a coloured envelope in amongst the pizza delivery menus and bills instantly makes you feel happy. We bet it will be the first thing you open.
Cards Are Sensory
The act of receiving a card involves many of your senses. You look at the address and try to guess who sent it by the handwriting. You hear the tear as you rip open the envelope. You smile as you see the picture on the front and run your hands over it. You turn the card over in your hands as you open it to read the message.
Cards Take Time
In the days of digital communication, the fact that someone has taken the time to visit a shop, select a card they think you’ll like, compose a message, buy a stamp and post it makes you feel extra special. They’ve invested that time, money and thought into you. The effort involved shows how much they care.
Cards Celebrate Life Events
Cards are used to mark the most significant events of our lives whether it’s a birthday, wedding, anniversary, bereavement or declaration of love. Receiving a card gives you something tangible to display, keep and look at whenever you need a reminder of those kind words and that special moment or day.
Cards make Memories
As we mentioned, cards are often kept and looked back on. Sending an email or text just doesn’t have the same impact. You rarely go back through email messages from several years ago – they are forgotten too quickly, without the physical reminder of the sentiment. A card can be treasured for years and be read again and again.
Cards help you get your message across
You can express things that might be hard to say face-to-face in a card. This could be an apology or a message of sympathy, where you need to carefully consider your words. A card gives you a chance to plan what you want to say and a way to explain your feelings. Often email and text messages can be reactionary and sent in haste. Writing a card gives you time to think about your response and word it carefully.
Cards make you happier
There are even emotional benefits for the sender of the card – studies have found that writing a thoughtful message to someone can make you both feel considerably happier.
Do you have a meaningful card that you would like to cherish forever? At Inscripture we can engrave those special handwritten words onto a piece of jewellery or gift. Click here to see our full range of Handwriting Jewellery or our Memorial Jewellery Collection.
Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels